Juicing 101

New year, new me. That’s what we all seem to say at least. Every new year begins with a set of new year resolutions that more often than not isn’t accomplished. This year I decided (since I’ve never been one to make resolutions for the year) to make a different goal each month. And so began my journey into juicing.

Why juice? Well, fact of the matter is, most Americans do not get the proper nutrients necessary for a balanced diet. We are taught as children the importance of having a balanced diet based off of the food pyramid. We are recommended to have 3-5 servings of vegetables and 2-4 servings of fruit EVERY day! How many people do you know that actually stick to that? Juicing is a way to get nutrients into the bloodstream without having to digest all the fiber from the veggies and fruits. Fiber is still a very important factor in our diets, we just don’t need all that comes in the daily servings.

I may be an oddity since I happen to love veggies and fruit and most my friends call me a rabbit, yet I thought, why not jump on this juicing fad and see just how it affects me. So what happened, you ask? Well, here are a few positive changes:

I lost 10 pounds! I can’t say that is just from juicing. I’ve also been working out and eating very clean, yet in two months of juicing almost daily, I have managed to drop a few pounds.

My energy level increased. As a busy realtor constantly on the go, I used to drink 2-3 cups of coffee a day, sometimes more. Caffeine is necessary to make it through the day, I thought. Yet I came to realize that after a couple weeks my energy levels had actually gone up and I was down to one cup, some days even no coffee!

My skin has a glow to it. Juicing improves skin because it allows our bodies to absorb the nutrients and also removes cravings for unhealthy foods like deep fried and fast foods. The better you eat, the better you look and feel.

If you’ve never juiced before, I would suggest trying a local juice bar to see if you actually like it before going out and buying a juicer. They range anywhere from as low as $35 up to $500+. Here are a couple great local spots to check out:

Also, there is a juice bar located in the cafe at local Nugget stores as well. There are tons of great recipes to try! Here are a few of my personal favorites:

**This one I drink almost daily:

*1 large grapefruit

*1 small apple (I prefer gala or fuji)

*2 large carrots

*1 medium beet

*1 small knob of ginger (I use more, I really like ginger)

*1/2 a lemon

*1 cup kale

*1 cup spinach

**For a quick energy shot:

*1 large lemon

*A 1-2 inch chunk of ginger

(you can substitute the lemon for orange for sweeter shots)

**This one is just tasty:

*1 inch ginger root

*2 cups spinach

*1 cup pineapple

*1 small apple

*1 small lemon

I’d be more than happy to go over what’s worked throughout this juicing journey of mine if you have any questions or would like more recipes or ideas for juicing and living a healthy lifestyle! Feel free to give me a call, text, or email if you are interested in additional information!